Were Closed Thanksgiving Day

We are closed Thanksgiving Day, Brickshire is open

Kevin

Sorry I have not been on here for a couple weeks,  We have been doing many things around the property.


Paint Trials:  We love the idea of the painting fairways! But, we were not crazy about the product we used.  We are doing paint trails for all the property's here at RNK. We are looking at things like, natural look, color, cart traffic wear, weather wear.  Holes 11, 13,14, have paint on them.  We still have couple of products that we are waiting to arrive from the manufacture. The idea is to just paint one good coat near the end of February, early March time frame.

paint trial # 11

Lake Work:  With the water levels as low as they are the drain from the cart path coming down from #10 tee started to wash out the damn,  So while it was still low we fixed the wash-out, added a plastic erosion control mat and covered it with rock to give a much better as look than a black plastic mat.

After meetings with the Department of Virginia Forestry, New Kent County Fire and EMS, we are excited about burning almost 40 acres of the native on hole 3-9.  The plans are to burn for three days, starting Dec. 9-12 or 16-19. The plan has been put in place to control the fire.  If you live near the course, please do not call 911 they are already here.  Keep the lines open for other emergency needs.

There will be a mass e-mail going out to the Oakmont Villas and the Brickshire resident through the HOA offices.  The letter below is a draft, but gives you good information about the burn.

Brickshire and Oakmont Villas HOA

This letter is to inform you that there is going to be a controlled Wildlife/Urban interface burn at Royal New Kent Golf Club.  The target dates are December 9-13^th  or weather makeup dates of December 16-20^th .  This burn is a combined effort of the staff of Royal New Kent Golf Club, Virginia Department of Forestry, and the New Kent Fire and EMS Services.

The burn will serve several purposes. It will be an Education Event for the Va. Forestry Department and the New Kent Fire and EMS.  The burn will also burn the thatch out of the native area and generate new healthy plant growth for the wildlife to eat and live.  The golf course will benefit as well by controlling the weed suppression and the native areas will be much more healthy and playable.  The burn will take place on holes 3 – 9.  The golf course will remain open on these days for normal play. 

This Burn Permit shall be valid for Royal New Kent Golf Course (Golf Holes: 3,4,5,6,7,8,9) only. This Burn Permit shall be valid for burning operations subject to the following conditions/restrictions:

1. Weather: Relative humidity of 30-40%, Westerly winds no greater than 10 mph.

2. Fire Attendant Required: Burning operations shall be attended at all times by persons 18 years of age or older, who are representatives of Royal New Kent Golf Course Grounds Division, capable of actuating the on-site sprinkler system.

3. Fire Department Staffing Required: New Kent Fire-Rescue Suppression units shall be required and in attendance during any and all burning operations at the location(s) listed on this permit in accordance with the New Kent County Fire Marshal's requirements. 

Failure to adhere to the above conditions/restrictions of this Burn Permit shall be cause for revocation of this Burn Permit.

Any questions should be emailed to :  kmcintire@traditionalclubs.com

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kevin

Still 90

Still 90 degree cart path rule today! Kevin

Slowing Down, A Little

We are slowing down but gearing up as well!  The turf is going dormant fast and we a doing some final mowing on most of it this week.  We are gearing up for winter and and all that winter brings.  Projects are planned, most of those are finishing the projects started last winter that were not finished due to a terrible winter then jumping right into a wet spring.  We did get in a lot of last minute sodding before dormancy.  The white tee on 6, the white tee and walk up to the tee on 7, all the sod work on the big bunker on 10 were all finished.

We still are in need of major rain.  The rain gauge had another dry month with just over 2 inches for the month of October.

We measured the green speed last week as well.  We are rolling about a 12.3.  Understanding why we keep the greens here normally we keep them around a 9 or 10.  In the last year I been here not once did anyone complain about a pin placement.  The pins are in there normal spots but when we speed up the greens not every pin position is as playable!  BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU ASK FOR!  Kevin

It's That Time Of Year!

The one benefit that I have on a frost delay is that my office is not near the Pro Shop!  I know that a frost delay is a huge pain and can throw off your entire day. I promise we do everything we can to get you out playing.  For those who don't like the idea of painting the fairways, we do not have to wait for the frost to leave the fairways.  One huge benefit of not overseeding fairways!  If you ever wondered why we have to wait on frost, here is a small clip from the USGA on frost delays.  P.S.  Mother Nature is the only one who controls frost, not the Golf Pros or I can do much about it!  Kevin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkoWWrHzuAg

Lots going on

We are busy getting ready for the colder weather.  We have over seeded the front yard of the Clubhouse, plan on getting the range tee done as well this week.  Spraying and rolling greens twice this week.  Pulling soil samples from RNK and BRK to finish up the new Governments Policy's we have to do for Nutrient Management Plans. We will be applying the first of two applications to fight spring dead spot coming out of dormancy in the spring.  We must water the fungicide into the soil, so if you see watering of the fairway during the day that's why.  Plus all the mowing and trimming of the golf course.  Have a great week! Kevin

IT'S RAINING!!!!

WHAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  IT'S RAINING!

Work continues on 10 bunker

More work on the huge bunker on 10 fairway!

Rain gauge had a bad month!

The GRAND total for rain at RNK in the month of September (Drum roll)  1.6 inches!  If you have been to RNK lately you notice the extreme low pond level.  We have gone to greens only at this point to make it through the until we get some kind of hurricane or massive snow melt. If we get a good hard storm, for every inch of rain we get about a foot of our pond filled back up. Cooler night temps are helping reduce water use but not helping on our root development.

We also have started Bush Hogging some of the tee complexes to knock down some of the out of control native areas catching tee shots 10 feet off the tee.

The collars will be finished getting their yearly over seeding,  We are trying to toss a new curve at the collars for next year. we added 20% of the seed is a Low Mow Heat Tolerant Blue Grass.  Seed count wise, the seed is about 50% Rye and 50% Heat Tolerant Blue Grass! I'm excited to see the result of the change!  On the bad side, the collars will be kind of a mess jungle for the next couple weeks.

Work continues on sodding the edges of the bunker on 10 fairway as well when weather allows.  the over all plan for the bunker is to make it a FLAT BOTTOM bunker, except, for the two big faces.  the two bug faces are going to get their slops reduced to be able to maintain them with our bunker rake machine.  Right now our main focus is getting the sod down and rooted before it checks out and head dormant.

I also want to give a shout to Carl.  I have no idea what he goes through on a daily basis, but I know he works hard to get the three superintendents the things we need to be as successful as we can be!

Super busy here as you can tell, Kevin

pictures of 10 bunker work

It never fails, as soon as we start work back in the bunker on number 10 fairway we get rain!  We did get a great start on it yesterday.  Here are some pictures of us bringing don the faces to make the bunker a flat bottom bunker.

WEEK OF SEPT 22

This week we are changing focus a little bit.  We are going to be more sod work. Today we cut out all the bad spots on the awful white tee on #7.  Scheduled to re-sod it in the morning.  This tee will be closed for a couple weeks while the sod takes.  Better bring a little longer club on that hole!  We also are going to repair that ugly wash out mess between the white and black tee on seven as well.  We also are going to work hard on the edges of the big bunker on 10.  we are quickly loosing our warm season sod window.  The plan is to make the bunker a flat bottom bunker except the two faces in the corner.  We are just going to flatten the slops on them to hinder the washouts and be able to maintain them with the sand pro instead of the skidsteer loader.  We are going to try to pull off all of this while preparing for two course closing size outings Thursday and Friday!  Yea, we got a heck of a week planned!  Kevin

#12 is all cleaned up

After 3 grueling days, we finished edging bunkers and a general over all cleaning up of hole 12.  It came out AWESOME!!!

2000

We hit 2000 site visits this week!  Keep tuning in to get info on the course!  Kevin

Things as normal as they can get!

We moving right along with sprucing up the place for fall play.  We are working on the bunkers on 12 green.  Edging bunkers that have not been touched in a few years is a time consuming task.  It will take three, four at times employees 3 days to restore the bunkers on just this one hole.  We are adding back some of the flash (faces) of sand to help pull peoples eyes back down to this great par three and stop looking at the town homes.  We also hope to put up a shield of some kind of trees and evergreen mix to shield off some of the town homes this fall.  Same for the back drop of 13 and 14.  We are also putting some effort in fixing the entrances and exits off the fairways in the next couple days as well.  Have a great week!  Kevin

This Week

We are spending this week getting a lot of housekeeping things done getting ready for the upcoming outing season and fall package season.  Mulching and trimming clubhouse and edging more bunkers are on the agenda.  Along with those we will be verti-cutting and topdressing the greens trying to speed up and smooth up the greens for a little better role. Have A Great Week!  Kevin

Were DONE!

We finished topdressing the last few holes this morning and are open for play!.  Greens came out great and starting the healing process.  I will keep you informed during the healing!  Kevin

8 Fairway

Eight Fairway is under going some sod work and turf health for the next month.  The entire hole will be cart path only for at least a month!

                                                        New Sod on Eight Fairway

Aerification Dates!

Put them on your schedule! TGP Aerification Dates Are As Follows

Brickshire : This Monday Aug. 18 and 19th

Stonehouse:  Aug. 20-22nd

Royal New Kent:  Aug 25 and 26th

As Normal

Things moving as normal here at RNK.  A couple weeks ago I put out a picture of a problem on 14 green.  The hole in the green was dug out from a pack of foxes that have a den near the green.  You can see them play in the bunkers on nice evenings.  Kevin

Rain Today

Calling for rain today but still riding on fairways!  Kevin

Summer Greens Help

As you might have noticed we punched tiny hole in the greens at the end of last week.  This allows a few things to happen in the summer.  When we are blasting the greens with water in the intense heat the roots will climb to the top of the soil to get water.  By punching small hole we allow water to penetrate much fast a easier for the roots to chase deeper in the soil.  It also allows the gases in the soil to release and exchange for overall plant health.  It also allows the surface and out thick thatch layer to dry out much faster after evening rain storms and watering, reducing the disease pressures.

Today and tomorrow we are going to start Veridical Cutting the greens and adding a thin layer of topdressing.  Removing some of the thatch and excess grass on the green surface will allow the ball to roll much smoother and add a little speed to the greens.  Let hope it don't get tooooo hot!  Kevin

Guess

Any one want to guess what happened to 14 green in this pic?

Good Rain!

We managed to get 2.2 inches total for yesterdays rain!

Whats was that stuff falling from the sky?

At this point anything help!  I know until tonight's 2 plus inches of rain so far for the month we have managed to only get .40 inches here at New Kent and Brickshire in the 19 days.  Even though the bunker are destroyed and full of water we will welcome this great rain and be thankful for it!  Kevin

NATIVE CARE

We are starting to spray out the Native Areas that are in play for most people.  One of my main goals since I been here is to find a way to speed up play but keep the golf course the same.  We are going to spray out 30 acres of the 90 acres of Native grass we have.  Some hole will be completely sprayed and other might just get a 20 foot easement .  We are trying a couple different product and rates to see what is the most cost effective way to knock down the Broad Leaf Weed, Thorns, Horse Tail, Thistle,  and Dog Fennel.

Ball Mark Repair

Ball mark are becoming a Major problem on our greens.  With the lack of rain we are using a lot of water that in return allows ball marks to become a issue. Here is a Clip from the USGA on how to repair ball marks correctly.  Kevin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myOTf1wuZoA

Roots?

The biggest difference between Golfers and Superintendents is we care more about what's going on in the soil and less what going on up top.  If you got the soil and roots right your problems are reduced on the turf.  I took this picture this morning of the root system of the upper putting green.  You will see the roots are OK but could use some help.  We  have started to use a new type of fertilizer to help push the root system while still feeding the turf as well.  The three long stands of roots are aerification holes.  If you ever thought the aerification process was crazy and unnecessary here shows you a huge advantage of it.  Kevin

Back to 90

We are back to 90 degrees on the fairways today!  Kevin

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Carts on path

Sorry I'm a little late this morning.  We are cart path only! Kevin

Crazy Week!

We have seen a lot of different things this week around the course.  Our biggest problem has been the heat!  We seen surface temperatures from 90 to 127 degrees.  Soil temperatures well over 100 degrees.  We have seen turf struggle and thrive.  we have seen little rains and down pours. over all I think me crew did an outstanding job this week dealing with all that Mother Nature tosses out way.  Looking forward to rain and a little cooler temps next week!  Kevin

We use a digital thermometer to look at the surface temperatures.  This pic was taken at Brickshire at 10:00 Tues. morning. 

Drying out

We are starting to dry out.  we are back 90 degrees in all the fairways today!  Kevin

Good Rain!

Thank you for those that took to your back yard and danced!  It worked! Since Wednesday we have had 2.5 inches of rain.  We are cart path only on number 1 and 11 today!  That's how dry we were!  Sorry about the bunkers we did pump and rake them yesterday but the evening storms knocked them back down again.  Kevin

Rain?

If anyone knows a rain dance, go to your backyard and dance your heart out!  Please! Kevin

Anohter great weekend

Looks like another great weekend for golf!  We are mowed down waiting on you!  Have a great weekend!  Kevin

Much Needed Rain

The total rain fall for may was 2.1 inches for the entire month of May.  Most of that came in just two rains.  Last night we were blessed to get .5 inches of rain!  At this point we will take any thing we can get.  Course is still hard, balls are rolling for huge drives and the important thing we are still 90 degree rule with the carts!  Kevin

This Week at RNK

This week we are planning to get a lot of spraying, fertilizing, mowing and if all goes well get back into the large bunker on number 10.  Most of our major turf work is done and now have a little more time to finish a couple project left over from winter.  Looks like its going to be a great week for golf!  Kevin

Still 90

We are still 90 degrees on the cart path rule but not the temperature.  Enjoy the next few days of cooler weather and a great looking weekend!  Kevin

Thank you Vets!

Thank you to All of our members that served or serving in our military.  We truly are blessed because of your efforts!  For those who lost their life, we thank you for the ultimate sacrifice! RNK Staff.

 

 

Almost Done

We are almost done with the topdressing part of aerification.  The course will reopen tomorrow(Thursday.)  All play will start on Number 10.  Kevin

Slow Going

All the Greens have been aerated but the Sand company delivered the wrong sand Monday morning.  To top that off the sand we wanted they were out of.  After changing out the sand plant to make the stuff we needed the spent the day yesterday making 150 tons for us and Stonehouse.  We got sand this morning and started to topdress this morning. Still having a few issues with other thing so the process is going SLOW!  Please hang in there until we are able to finish.  Thanks, Kevin

Facts

As I continue to learn how this Blog thing works, I found some numbers that I found that makes me happy!

309 people have looked on to the page in the last month!

1,169 people have used the page to get information since I started the Blog!

Thank you to those who have chosen to use the blog as a resource.  Kevin

Moving well

We are moving well thought the aerification process!  We should be back open Wednesday.

Aerification Starts Today!

We will be closed for the next two days to finish aerification!  Reminder, that Stonehouse will be closed next Monday and Tuesday.  Kevin

Aerification Questions?

Here is a great little clip on why we aerate! Kevin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va98sIUEjFw

Slow but Steady!

We are working hard on the tees!  We are removing a 5/8th hole on a two inch spacing bringing up as much thatch as we can.  We are also vertical-cutting behind that.  Here a some progress pics. 

Don't forget we a scheduled to aerate greens starting Sunday evening and finishing on Tuesday! Kevin

Busy Week

Sorry for the lack of updates!  It's been a busy week getting ready for the heat and dealing with it when it got here.  We are looking good going into the weekend. 

We mowed wall to wall for the first time this year.  Things are turning more green as the hours pass.  We are planning on Aerating the tees and fairways next week.  Also keep in mind we are scheduled to aerate greens starting Sunday night the 18th - Tues.  the 20th.

I do want to give a quick shout out to Don Prevish our golf course mechanic for RNK and BRK.  As we keep using equipment for the first time we are starting break more things.  He has worked hard this past week keeping two golf courses worth of equipment up and running! 

Have a great weekend!  Kevin

Still on Paths

We are still on cart path only today!  Sorry, hopeful for the weekend! Kevin

Thatch

Wondering why the tees are so far behind turning green than the rest of the course? I was too!  I first thought we might be in big trouble with winter kill.  If the winter just gets too cold and nasty sometimes your Bermuda Grass will just check out and not come back in the spring causing you to either re-sod, sprig, seed the area to get turf coverage.  Then I started digging to see if there was ANY green down there for a little hope.  I found a green and hope, but, it was under a 1 3/4 plus layer of THATCH.  With that much thatch it takes a lot more time for the soil temperature to increase to warm things up to start the transition process.

Our course of action is going to be a major aerification (BIG HOLES) of all the tees followed by vertical cut (De- thatching), topdressing and fertilizing.  This might be a process that we have to do two or three times this summer to get the thatch layer right!

For more info on thatch and your yard watch this quick video that I found on You Tube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5VQD6V1-rc

Thanks for taking interest on the turf maintenance at RNK!  Kevin

4.5 Inches

From last Friday to this morning we have had 4.5 inches of rain.  We are cart path only for a couple days!  Kevin

More Rain

More rain expected today!  Cart Path Only Today!  Sorry!  Kevin

Rain Likely

Rain likely for the next couple days!  Keep updated here for the cart path rules.  Kevin

Perfect!

This weekend looks perfect for golf!  Have a great weekend and keep it in the short stuff!  Kevin

Down to 3

After digging and digging we could not find a drain to fix on the small right bunker in front of 16 green.  The old bunker would not drain and became a frog pond.  We decided the best action for this bunker is to fill it and sod over the area.  I think it turned out great!  Kevin

This Week

Were looking to have a great week here at RNK!  Good chance of rain on Tuesday evening so check back Wednesday morning for the cart rule if your planning on being here!  Have a great week and keep it in the short grass!  Kevin

This Weekend

This Weekend looks to be a good one!  We will be 90 degrees in the Fairways.  Have a great weekend, Kevin

We are linked to the news letter!

Now that we are linked to the News Letter!

The goal of this Blog is to communicate to you the golfer on what's going on around the course with the most up to date information on course conditions (cart path only), projects, and day to day operations.  You will be able to get things like aerification dates with out calling the Pro Shop.

This is also a place for you to "nicely" ask questions about why we do things the way we do or just send us a note of encouragement as well.  Kevin

4-18-14

Were greening up!  It will be a great day to play! Cart Path Only on 1 and 11.  Kevin

4-17-14

Just a little note we are back on the fairway except 1 and 11!  Kevin 

Clean Up!

As the golf season is just a couple weeks away we are cleaning up the winter mess!